Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants

 Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants by Lee Goldberg (2007) 280 pages

The Monk book series is written by one of the television show's writers; this particular book was my first foray into the world of this mystery-solver. Adrian Monk is an obsessive-compulsive man, and while his habits sometimes seem a bit outlandish‒like wearing a gas mask and haz-mat suit all during a trip to Los Angeles, for example‒these traits serve him well when he is examining a crime scene or observing possible suspects. If details don't fit in a particular order, they are jarring to Monk; he solves a number of crimes instantly during the course of this story.

Monk's current assistant is Natalie. She began working for Monk after his previous assistant, Sharona, left town to return to her ex-husband. Now Sharona's back in town. Her husband, Trevor, is in jail, accused of killing a woman who had hired Trevor to do her landscaping. Sharona thinks her husband is guilty and thus she isn't interested in asking Monk to prove Trevor's innocence. However, Natalie fears that Sharona will take her job away, and decides that Monk needs to prove Trevor's innocence in order to get Sharona to go back to Trevor in Los Angeles. While the two women start out at odds with each other, they find they share strong concern for Monk's wellbeing and end up working together well. Monk's over-the-top personality helps infuse the story with humor.